The Memphis appeal. [volume] (Memphis, Tenn.) 1886-1890, 1887-12-25

But the comet stops for nothing. II cannot
stop. To stop would mean destruction ln
the awful furnace Of Vegas fires. Our
safety lies in the velocity of our fight. We
must rest content, then, with q bird's-cye
view Of these beautiful worlds; and away
we dart once moro 60 face the gloom and
the cold Of outer space.
Tons clapse again. Vega with he SPLEEN
dors becomes rs before n star among the
s,ars, and On We 90, on, on, on. Millions
of millions oi miles our track stretches be-
hind us. But what means this swaying
from our course? Were il not that the
blaze Of a nearing sun is absent We should
think that the comet was about 10 swing
around another solar center anil pay n
visit tn another system OF unknown
worlds. But there b. no light nearer than
the distant stars. Set certainly the comet
feel, the attractive power OF some vast
body, and obcdicnily bends It's path to.
ward the invisible source OF attraction.
Whit mystery Of snIcc Is this' SNilicr
and sW,iur We 20, Us when we fen Ike
Lurilcr into the blaze OF Vegas presence,
and sill no sun appears. There Is no
visible cause for ON motion. But stay,
behold, Wonder IL ia. That huge dark
body, iaintly visible in the ashy light ofthe
stars, what can Ii bc2 II IL the corpse OF
q sun. Millions of ycors aro It shone in
ita splcnhor, making Joy and light In all
this region round II. Perhaps ut that
Christmas time 50 long ago, when We
! listened 20 the siren voice ol
this wandering comet and flow
away with 1t 70 behold the wonders
" space, that dead sun was n OF
I The sturs that glittcrcd in ouT sky and shat.
tered its tiny j~ayclins OF light upon the
snow-crust Uf our hiilsidcs. Now Il Is
| cold, Opaque, inert aclod in space. And
It's worlds! Nh hcrc they arv, gray and
/ dead, too, and Crpwuing around II rs they
/ did when IL was still able 10 warm and
/ illuminate them. The tides 81 lie have
I erased Ia flow throughout all this beautiful
system, the trrmur OF atomic innss AN
/ slillcd, and eternal mutionlcss has claimed
lbs own. This Is q sorry visit that oui
comet h paying tn the dead. We did moi
need tn cume here Ia be- reminded ui the
inevitable fate that awaits all things
worlds aud suns ns well ~ me and ma
| tons.
Yet in the midst Of death We arr sur
rounded by the pOtencics and possibilities
u life. As We ARE in the act 81 making
our pcnhclion passage around the cXiin'
guishcd sun, Whu~t attraction has drawn
~ aside from our journey. We bCcomC
aware Of the fact that We arc Ia the pres
cncc Of another enormous dark body, an
| other dead sun, and that the two aro rush.
ing together With the velocity ot dcstruc'
/ ton. We arr about 10 behold, nay, 90 b,
present at. one Of those rare and mosl
marvellous phenomena OF the universe,
! the collision OF two vast bodies in space.
With a Grmamcnt-shaking crash thcy
meet, and meeting melt, with all then
rocky ribs. like the morning dew In tho
fierce gush NJ heat that springs irom their
arrested motion. They fuse, they liquiiy,
they boil, they hunt into steam and yapor,
they expand teniold. y thousand fold, in
volume. The eyes arr blinded, the starry
heavens mc blottcd from sight. u new and
terrific lilo has Lurst into bloom in hi.
place II the dead. The awful struggle nj
atomic forccs, NJ heat OF grayitation, ha.
been resumed herr, not a. cease aglin fOr
millionsoiagrg Tho4r Immense solid bodies
that mot In aW iul collision have been trans.
formed, like magic, MO 4 nrbulous mas
whose hot yapors now cnyclup ~ aud cX.
paud over miilinril Ut cubic miles. Such
a cusmicll catastrophe rs this, some OF ia,
astronomers told ~, 10 was that caused the
sudden outburst oi q new star which sur
ptiscd the world Ia l572. And II w wcr
now upon the earth and looking toward
this quarter II the heavens We should
doubtlcss b. discussing the appearance al
another new star. Thus docs the hiS,or,
of %rrratiou, na well NJ the history of hu
manity, rpcai it~alL The destruction o
the globe, whose attraction dvw our concI
ILL - IA. a.NA.mHH..a ...N. a. ..al
ynpuruus mass, ua wcll ns thc perturbation
introduced into our motion 10y the prcs'nc,
lust before the collision ot a second cnor
nous attracting body, have put US int
some peril, nui completely changed th'
direction oi our flight But Tor the gr'i
original velocity II the comet We NIGH
have been iuyolyd In the destruction. Bul
fortunately, We pp able to wing our wa
out IT the rlnU4 nud continued our %journc,
in open spare. SpDn that !. to sIy Foul
when rckoupd hy the measure ui tim.
pur comet has accustomed M We lUay.
+ the new formed n.huln bohind ~, show
I ing as % misty sprck In the black SKY, un
oil. with increasing distance, Il fades irou
sight.
ones aepin n vast interval 81 tim
%pluI-.s. Tor millions NJ yolr- We arr swnI
p lowed NJ In the dvDIs 1T space. AnOlhc
Z sun seeking comet approaches ms, and, III
10 .hips meeting iu ~mid-urcan, We dE,
o. rIuetr together uul slightly altar ON
, rnut~s under the oilycis ui mutual attrag
ton. and then sfarl on once mOrc viii
! no. everlasting larCwpll Now and agni
10 q little mytcoric body, q dust spcck ,
space. Wclicl with H. ccisclcss r1,in.
lriIa Ia rst upon the ruuvt', bosom. A
last ihyr iga Frightening In one quart,
ut he armament Tho shining inyn'ua
To tu ahlafr We urr drawing near to nuih,
s great center. Vet h,huld, 1t b. MT ou
u sun lint liiuD'a ul hut thousands II
a 10 sun %rluHtgr that W. ARE 10 going
visit, one of thusr magnificent solar gtihc
iurr that We usrl ib admir- irum the cart
b. iu the glowing constellation 1i s]ugitiaiu
.r \ sph,m ui suus' How they glitter ma
-,lutilllic uud hll1' nud heat down ol
%vycliIf with uuhUFrthlr lisht W We nj
Is pnrurh Ten thuusIul sums, shining &
10 ryil'"r revolving AROUND one anUlhc
b. linked he the everlasting bonds oi gmyil
is ton, and blazing in Uncomfortable dyalr
is 10 hyholi su.h o spectacle b. worth
be- Journey from ihr lurhest shuu ui The ur
y. verse.
q. hut lDr arnin, there ~ peril for o
m comet. II b. courc lies within IN
be- sphere n ran never escape. Luckily I
10 M IL lies without. Tie whole cIl.i
10 serves w ~ focus ct attraction and
n. swings around i, keeping 40 % vast ~
Iy tuncc, vet near enough 90 give nv o. gliuT
io NJ the aplruduu within. II Ne bal 81,
near. moi only should Ne have been
,s yul,rd in the labyrinth ~ attractions
BE- the cluster, lint b. Individual mrwI
u. which arr rrlIly separated from uuu ID
yc other hy thousands IT millions ~ mil.
BE- would have utiruprl ~ llr nTJrt that {